If I acquired a Ruger no.1 tropical in 458 WM, what is the largest calibre that it could sensibly be re-barrelled for?

577 Nitro Express?
600 Nitro Express?

And what sort of modifications other than a new barrel?

Thanks

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John
alias Nitro

NitroExpress.com

That might be a good question for J.D.Jones at SSK. Some of the number 1 cartridges that he chamers are on the website www.sskindustries.com

Hope this helps,

Bill

The largest sensible chamber is the 500 NE. The 577 NE just doesn't leave much metal around the barrel threads, and the 600 NE is definately too large. Other then the barrel and chamber, the safety needs to be milled and recessed to allow the large dia cases to feed and eject.

i have a ruger 1 in 600 jdj it is a 577 nitro blown out straight to acept 600 nitro bullets.

actually i got a real real nice offer for it and am probably going to sell it i hunt every thing with black powder big bore i have no use for smokless except for in pistols.

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black powder rules

Black powder big bore,

What Black powder big bores are you shooting? What actions? What kind of accuacy are you getting? I have been shooting BPCR for a while and hunting with them also and am thinking of trying some of the older english B.P. rounds.

i dont use bp breech loaders all of mine are muzzel loading

75 cal german jagear rifle 700gr ball 220grs of ffg powder
4 bore(.989) german jagear rifle 1380gr ball 450gr fg powder
2 bore english style rifle 3500gr ball 550gr of fg powder

all of these are custom made by a firend of mine.

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black powder rules

... you dont need a tropical, any #1 action will do. I spent a good part of a year asking folks if a 577 is a good idea and most said no... I got a 500 3" and absolutly love it. Take care of planning ahead... my rifle finished at 7 3/4lbs.
best of luck

Smallfry, did you rebarrel or rebore?

SSK mentions a .577 NE conversion for the #1 on their web site....

Harald... Its is rebarreled. A question often raised is that the newer serial numbers cannot be rebored in 500 without intersecting the holes drilled for the quarter rib. Now I dont know which serial numbers are affected from then on... but Hamilton Bowen I think does.
The 500 is fascinating to me... I own a number of large bores and find that the 500 has a incrediable balance of penetration and slam on game.
an interesting aside is that I have been turning some projectiles out of CDA 360 and pure copper with very obtuse noses, and shooting them out of a few of my big bores and friend (who owns a WD and sons in 500) my twist is 1-12 and his is traditional. we both notice that I get consideriable more penetration... perhaps upto 20% more on some projectiles. Mind you... homogenized solids can get alittle long. My point is... there are a number of brl makers that offer 1-12,14 twists for 510s, a person might look into it.
take care

Thanks, Smallfry! I purchased a 50th Anniversary Ruger .45-70 to scratch my "express rifle" itch, but ever since reading Ross Seyfried's article (Rifle, March 2002) on the high velocity .500s I am bitten with the bug again! He describes a 10 lb Daniel Fraser .500 BPE that was designed for 570 gr JACKETED bullets pushed by 120 grs of blackpowder to 1540 fps. That rifle looks a lot like a Ruger No. 1....

Harald... Its realy ashame ruger doesnt sell the #-1 in 50-90 (2 1/2) or in any of the British Nitro calibers. They could even sell it for 1200 $ and people would be getting a good deal.
Incidently... People often look at the large Nitro calibers as rather short range affairs, however, at 2150 fps ANY of the .400 calibre and above are effective out to 200 yards, even on DG and large game. Hold over isnt so bad eather, normaly around 8" if you sight in at 100.
I have, but dont much shoot BP out of my 500. But I do shoot alot of cast.
Do you cast at all? Paper Patch? 600 grain paper patch 1-25 lead slugs out of a 500 at around 1500, sure do turn the lights out.
Keep me posted... you might try Pac-nor they will rebrl your ruger, but I dont think they will E/E work to pop cases out.

The question was, what is the largest it can SENSIBLY be rebarreled for. I talked to Hamilton Bowen before I sent him my 458, and he said thatin his opinion, anything over 500 NE is too brutal to shoot in a #1. There is a limit to how much weight can be built on this rifle, and there can be a problem with stock cracking/failure with the really big calibers in this.
His personal opinion is that the best way to go is have a 458 rebored to 470 NE. This is the route I am taking after researching all options. Some of the early 458's can be rebored to 500 NE, but they are very hard to find. When rebarreling, the cost goes up quite a bit.

If you want to re-bore the rifle you want to start with is the Ruger No1 V the Varment barrel is a slightly tapered bull barrel, and doesn't have a quarter rib, but is fitted with two small target sight blocks for the scope, and no Iron sights. The barrel is 24", and the muzzle measures
.700", and has rebated crown. If you are going to use any of the rounds that are built on a belted case like the 458 LOTT then the 7mm Rem Mag is rare but was made for a short time in the No1V. no ejector work will be needed, If, however, you are going to one of the rimmed NE cases, then any of them will do. I have a Ruger No1V chambered for 7mm Rem Mag, that Im thinking about turning into a a 500 NE, and then adding NECG island express sight on the back, a barrel ring front sling swivel, and a barrel band front catapillar front sight with a flip up night sight! I will also leave the long, wide "V" type forestock for a good grip on the front!

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..Mac >>>===(x)===>
also DUGABOY1
DUGABOY DESIGNS
Collector/trader of fine double rifles, and African wildlife art

Ken... Thats no joke... Like I said, mine is finsihed in at about 7 3/4 lbs, and recoil is a little stiff. I imagine there would be a question as to weather the stock would hold up, mine is a custom laminate.
That sounds fun MacD, when my barrel was turned, I had a intergral band left on the front for a front sight, which I made myself at school. The rear is made from 304 and is kinda like the old winchester adjustiable rear, however mine is trimmed up a bit, has an extra set screw in it, and is in a sour-dough configuration of my own making. The front has replaceable elements. It would be nice to build a peep-sight for it some day.
keep me posted if get to working on yours

take care

Thanks for the info and replies.

Sounds like the 470 NE or if the correct rifle is found a 500 NE.

Regards,

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John
alias Nitro

NitroExpress.com

Whoah! Back up a bit..
Black Powder guy. Here I am scouring the universe for information on 2 bores for my own project,(without much luck I might add) and then you just post on casual as anything saying you own one

A godsend

Can I get some info off you mate?
Weight, recoil, single or double, rifled or smoothbore,
Have you chronied it?,
Shotloads?
Effect on game?
550gn would not be a max load would it?

E-mail me if you prefer. Thanks for any help.

Regards
Karl.

What does someone like Lebounty charge to rebore a #1-V to 475 or 510? Is it preferable to rebarreling? Wouldn't the most cost effective way to obtain an "express" #1 be to rechamber a 458 to one of the 450's? (about $200)

Fla3006, reboring can give you as good a barrel as rebarreling, if done by the right person. But, I found you have to be willing to wait a long time to get the gun back!!

In the April 12 issue of Gun List there is a Ruger #1 458Win "pre-warning" barreled action, unfired, for $400 plus shipping. The seller's telephone is 808-927-7295. I recently purchased one of these. I am reaming my chamber to 450 No.2 and adding a fancy maple stock and wide quarter rib with express sights.

fla3006

Did you post a message once on the cordite board?

If so you gave me the idea. I've been thinking about it since and thought it was a good idea.

Yes the 450 No2 NE would be an easier and smarter way to go with a lot less involved. Rechambering etc, use the exisitng barrel etc

But I am also building a M98 458 Lott or soon will be, and would like a NE cartridge which is significantly different to the 458 Lott.

I would have liked a 577 NE or a 600 NE but while some no. 1s have been made into 577s it seems more likely that a 500 or 470 is the way to go.

Of course the 450 NE is still an option and certainly a cheaper option.

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John
alias Nitro

NitroExpress.com

Nitro: Yes, I made some postings awhile back on Cordite.com. I have also toyed with the idea of converting a #1 into a NE caliber. After reading a number of posts on Cordite and this website I decided the best route was to rechamber a 458 #1 into one of the 450's. The 450's look good because of the ease and low-cost of the conversion, the wide variety of bullets available and the versatility of these rounds (cast lead 45-70 up to 460 Wby performance). The 500-450 case probably makes the most sense but I've decided to go with the 450 #2. Cases are expensive but I figure I'll only need 40-60.

I have a ruger #1 in 500NE x 3" and is really the largest cartridge that can be safely accomodated in this action. I had to machine the top of the breachblock slightly to stop the rim from catching during fast reloads. My rifle has a full 30" barrel and weighs 12.5lb with scope.

Far better proposition is 45x120x3.25" Sharps
which requires only a simple barrel change if using the factory 45/70 rifle. My Ruger 1# in this calibre has 28" octagonal barrel with 1 in 14" twist to stabilise the 600gn Shiloh "Stake Buster" with 112.5gn FFG Goex. For hunting outback wild pigs it has terrific knockdown power.

How hot could be 450 no.2 NE loaded in modern firearms ? What is water capacity of this round ?I know that there is not problem 2500fps with 500gr bullet in 450 NE 31/4" in Ruger #1 . . .

Jiri

karel what is your email

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black powder rules